


Dear Fellow Traveler

by aryasreys



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arya-centric, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-03-02 21:18:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18819205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aryasreys/pseuds/aryasreys
Summary: Arya finally comes back home after three years of attending school. She expects to be met happily by her family. Instead, she is met with doubt and guilt. Most of all from herself.





	1. one.

Her plane had barely landed before Arya snuck a peek at her phone. _9 missed notifications._

“Fuck,” she blew a strand of hair out of her face. 

**Jon:** am i still picking you up at 3?

**Jon:** nvm you probably won’t get this until you land

**Dad:** Let me know when you land sweetheart 

**Dad:** Your mother is insisting on a surprise party. I tried to stop her. 

**Dad:** Act surprised please 

**Sansa:** Remember to pick up some balloons on the way home

**Sansa:** Shit

**Sansa:** Please ignore that 

**Sansa:** anyways how was your flight?

Arya smirked at her phone before sliding it back into the pocket of her coat.

Arya had waited a long time to go home. She longed to feel the warmth of her father’s smile and the comfort of her mother’s arms. It had been three years since Arya was at her childhood home in Winterfell after she had left for school. Arya loved studying dance under Professor Syrio Forel and, although she would never admit it, studying law from Professor Sandor Clegane, or how most of her classmates had eerily regarded him: the Hound. Her professors, while demanding, had always had her best interests at heart and Arya wouldn’t trade all she learned from them for anything. Sure, she had her issues with her family, all families had their problems, yet Arya somehow felt a giddy happiness from being at Winterfell once more.

Slowly but surely the passengers were accompanied off the plane and into the airport. All Arya had on her was the backpack she retrieved from the overhead storage and her phone, but Arya was already exhausted from the five hour flight.

She retrieved her luggage and was currently wheeling around her two suitcases when Jon called her.

“Took you long enough,” she spoke into the phone.

“I missed you too, little sister,” Jon replied. Arya couldn’t help but smile at his voice.

“I’m at Terminal A if you feel like picking me up,” she absentmindedly pulled at a loose thread from her yellow sweater. “Also! When were you going to tell me that my mom was throwing a surprise party?”

She heard his nervous laugh over the phone.“Well, I-”

“Doesn’t matter, I see you now,” Arya hung up. She saw Jon’s head whip around until his eyes finally landed on her. He took her luggage from her hands before enveloping her in a tight hug. Arya’s arms flew around him, almost falling forward into her older brother’s embrace. When they finally pulled away, Arya stepped back and quirked an eyebrow at him.

“You’ve gotten shorter.”

“You’ve gotten meaner,” he shot back, grabbing her luggage, “come on, everyone’s waiting for you at home.”

“Speaking of which,” Arya kept up beside him easily, bouncing on the balls of her feet, “the party.”

“How’d you find out?”

“Guess?”

Jon smiled to himself. “Cat’s gonna kill him.”

“Yeah, I know.”

***

Arya would have dreaded the two hour drive from Wintertown to Winterfell with anyone else. Her other siblings would have tried too hard to force a conversation. Her mother would have badgered her with unwanted questions about school, boys, and the like. Her father, well her father, would have put on a soft rock radio station and driven in silence. At least then, Arya would have drifted off to sleep.

No, the drive home with Jon was the most appealing of all the other options.

They spent most of drive catching up. Jon mostly carried the conversation, for he had much more to share than Arya. He spoke of his ex-girlfriend, Ygritte. He also spoke of how intense his last year of college was.

“Well that’s on you for choosing,” Arya quirked an eyebrow at her brother,”wildlife biology.”

“I’m regretting even picking you up from the airport now,” he retorted.

“Oh please,” Arya feet went onto the dashboard,” I’m your favorite. You probably were dying to get out of that house.”

His silence proved her point. The silence was almost stifling until Arya changed the topic. “How’s Sam?”

“Sam and Gilly are engaged,” Jon nodded to Arya, a small grin painted his features.

Jon’s best friend, Sam was a meek but loyal friend. Arya never really connected with his friend but nonetheless, she was still happy to hear the news. Sam and Gilly were always the stupidly and annoyingly affectionate couple that Arya spent her time avoiding.

They’ll do great at married life.

“What about you?”

She blinked at him, obviously missing something. “What?”

“Seeing someone?”

Arya laughed at this. “We’re not doing this.”

“I haven’t seen you for three years. I think I’m allowed to ask these questions,” his voice was warm and playful, yet Arya couldn’t help but think of what caused him to even ask in the first place

“Okay. One- I text you literally every day. It’s not like we’ve been separated for three years. Two- You’re _not_ allowed to ask.”

“There hasn’t been anyone in these three years?”

“Jon,” she warned.

“Arya,” he replied in the same tone.

Her eyes fixed on him, making sure that Jon took her seriously.

“Talk to me about Ygritte then,” she smirked.

After a silent beat, he laughed and shook his head at her, focusing his attention on the road once more. Arya looked out the window, taking in the scenery of her childhood once more. She couldn’t help but compare this frost-filled land to Riverrun. She had spent three years accustomed to the heat and the sun of Riverrun. She often thought of her mother then. Arya, after all, was going to the same school where her mother did, instead of going to Winterfell University like her brothers did. Sansa, the darling of the family, got a full ride to King’s Landing University and an internship at the Vale. Sansa, who was majoring in political science _and_ business _and_ fashion because….why the hell not? Somehow, Sansa always made it work.

Meanwhile, Arya was struggling to stay afloat with dance and studying law. By some miracle, she managed to pass all of her classes and have enough time to work on her thesis. The end of every semester always left her drained, yet Arya felt oddly proud of herself this year. The Hound had finally called her Stark, which was, in its own weird way, an upgrade from not even being acknowledged in that class. The Hound had always been a cold and detached individual, but Arya suspected that she was one of the few students that he didn’t want to yell at. A small success was still a success in her book.

Her phone buzzed loudly against her leg.   
  
**Hot Pie:** What’s the netflix password again? it logged me out

Hot Pie, her best friend and unfortunately her roommate, was always texting Arya about things he forgot. It was a surprise that he hasn’t texted her earlier. Arya had met Hot Pie in Professor Forel’s class, and while Arya had threatened to gut him if he cheated off her once more, Hot Pie was still one of the few people in her class that she didn’t want to throttle. Thus, their initial animosity had transformed into a friendship. Before long, Hot Pie and Arya were studying for finals together, going out for lunch after their 12pm class, and eventually scouting for an adequate apartment in Riverrun.

Her mother, of course, had almost went ballistic after hearing Arya moved in with a boy. She was even angrier that it wasn’t even a boyfriend. Nevertheless, Arya still enjoyed her best friend’s company despite the endless criticism from her mother.

She shot back a response. 

**Me:** nymerias07   
****

**Me:** write it down this time.

**Me:** i’m surprised you haven’t set our apartment on fire

**Hot Pie:** There’s still time

**Me:** a week….you can function for a week without me

Slipping her phone back into her pocket, Arya turned her attention to the window. The fields of her childhood rolled quickly through her vision, a blanket of snow rising and falling. Her mind went to the bruises and scrapes she shared with her brothers during childhood. How many times had she gotten hurt from playing too rough? Broken bones were mended after daring herself to push her limits. Bruises that faded into her skin after running too quickly or dancing too wildly.

This was her home. And Arya missed it dearly.


	2. two

The party was not bad as Arya expected it to be. Her house was still packed with people who Arya did not know personally but somehow she was fine with it. Arya’s parents, truthfully her mother, managed to invite half of the population of Winterfell. It would’ve been a block party if their house wasn’t so huge. 

Arya had found herself enjoying the silent yet blissful company of her brother, Bran.  She had endured her family’s slight jabs at her three year absence for a couple of hours and had decided to take a break from it all. She had considered just shadowing Jon, yet he had gotten himself drunk with his friends. And there was no talking to a drunk Jon. Jon fluctuated from being an angry drunk to a sad drunk, and Arya had no intention of dealing with whatever Jon was right now. For now, Arya was content sitting in silence with Bran on the couch. During their childhood, Bran was always bright and inquisitive, but after his accident, that part of him faded. Arya couldn’t say she didn’t miss the days of climbing trees with her brother or racing him down the stairs, but she still enjoyed his company now. He was ultimately the only one of her siblings who understood the importance of a comfortable silence. 

She was enjoying his company up until the Reeds showed up. Meera immediately sat next to him, intertwining their fingers together. Bran’s usual seriousness faded the instant he saw her. Arya liked Meera. She had the ability to unearth the old Bran from the new one. He was  _ different _ around her. Better even. Meera was always more of Bran’s friend than Arya, yet Arya still found conversation with her easily. She just wasn’t in the mood to strike one up.

She got up from the couch then, expertly brushing off her mother’s loaded look that most certainly wondered whether or not she was having fun. Arya felt her face smile warmly at her mother and made her way through the crowd of strangers. 

Jon was crowded by his friends. Sansa and Theon were trying and failing to not act like a couple.  _ I wonder how long until Robb notices. _ Robb and a brown-haired girl Arya hadn’t met were in a heated conversation. Rickon was taking Arya’s seat on the couch next to Bran. 

She saw her family’s lives without her. Was it guilt or jealousy that made Arya freeze up in the middle of her living room? She had no clue, but she at least knew that if she spent one more second here, she’d say something she’d regret to the wrong person. 

She had half a mind to call one of her friends in Riverrun. She considered dialing Hot Pie. She considered calling Lommy. Hell, she even considered calling Gendry.

_ No. _

She wasn’t going to even think about  _ him _ . The last time she allowed herself to even give Gendry Waters a passing thought, she had done something stupid like calling him. He answered of course, but it didn’t stop Arya from making a horrible situation worse by insulting him.  He was the first friend she had made in Riverrun, and he was the first person to show her that friendships are fickle. She had met him her freshman year of college. He was five years older than her, but Arya paid no mind to that. She had wasted two years of her friendship on him. She had wasted two years pining after him, although she would never admit that. And then, he just left. Dropped out of all of his classes and moved to who knows where. 

_ Enough. _

She decided to take a page out of Jon’s book. Swiping a nearby empty glass and a wine bottle, Arya headed upstairs to drink in peace. Her family were too caught in their own conversations to notice she had even left.

Arya couldn’t decide if that was good of bad.

For now, she took advantage of her invisibility and retired to her room. She was scrolling through her twitter feed and halfway through the bottle when a soft thump at her door disrupted her. Placing the bottle underneath her bed, Arya downed the remaining wine and hid it alongside the bottle. Another thump. Then another. 

Sansa and Theon stumbled in, giggling and stammering into her room. 

“Wait,” Sansa giggled, unaware that they stumbled into the wrong room.

“Are you two seriously going to fuck with everyone downstairs?” 

Arya could not have suppressed the laugh in her throat as the two jumped apart. 

Theon gulped. “We’re just gonna--”

“Leave?” Arya finished. 

The pair stumbled forward, clutching each other’s arms to avoid falling. Without even looking at Arya, Sansa wordlessly grabbed Theon by the wrist and took him out, shutting the door behind her. 

When did Arya become the most normal one of her siblings?

Shaking her head, Arya slid off her bed and picked up the almost empty wine bottle. She poured herself what remained of the wine and downed it all. It warmed her chest, relaxing her instantly. Arya had to admit that she missed the chaos of having her family near her.

 

***

A substantial amount of guests had left when Arya had worked up the energy to go downstairs once more. She observed her family while sitting on the staircase, her head in her hands. The prattle of conversation made her head throb, but she stayed glued to the step of the stairs. 

An eruption of laughter from Jon and his friends made Arya want to murder someone. Her eyes roamed over the group of men surrounding Jon. Robb and Jon were in the middle of trying to retell a story, yet Robb kept interrupting a very inebriated Jon.

“Arya!” Waving her over, his voice came out louder than he probably intended. 

She blinked at him, guessing that he had no idea how many people heard him. Arya could feel her mother’s disapproving gaze at the pair and locked eyes with her. With a slight shake of her head, Catelyn approached Robb and Jon. Just as easy as she approached them, Jon and his friends dispersed outside. Robb drifted back to the brown-haired woman Arya saw earlier. His arm instinctively settled around her. She leaned into his touch, an easy and content smile on both of their faces. 

Arya’s mother materialized next to her. “They’ve been together for two years.” 

“She seems nice,” Arya said, “very pretty too.”

“I was the one who introduced them.” Arya took a notice of the pride laced in her mother’s voice. 

“Oh,” was all Arya could say to that. 

“She’s a Tyrell,” her mother replied as if that was all that mattered. 

The Tyrells were well-known for their hand in politics. There wasn’t one Tyrell that hasn’t ended up being a senator or a governor.    
  
“Good for Robb.”

“You’d like her,” her mother nodded wistfully, “her name’s Margaery. She’s a clever girl.”

Arya couldn’t help but hear the  _ she’s cleverer than you _ . 

“Is there a point to this?”

“Bran and Meera, Sansa and Theon--yes I know about that, you’d be blind not to, Robb and Margaery,” her mother looked at her expectantly. 

“Not you, too,” Arya sighed. “Rickon isn’t dating anyone, either! What does that matter?”

“Rickon is fifteen years old. I’m sorry that I’m interested in seeing you happy.”

“I am happy,” she said, a little too quickly.

“I’m sure you are,” her mother sweetly replied,”still one can never be too happy. Come on,” she held out her hand to Arya. Thankfully, that would be the end of that conversation for now. “I haven’t seen you all night.” 

Her mother led her way through the living room, occasionally stopping to say something to a guest. “Do your remember Robert, your father’s friend?”

How could she have forgotten him?

He was one of her father’s oldest friend and by far, the most loud-mouthed and obnoxious one of them all. Even after all this time, Arya had no clue how her quiet and solemn father was friends with the man. Arya found the man to be entertainingly idiotic. 

“He’s been here for a couple of weeks…Your father,” she shook her head,”well your father, he’s been helping him out.”   


“With what?”

Her mother tried to hide the look of distaste on her face. “Robert suddenly felt inspired to actually be a parent to his child.”

“He has a kid?” Arya said, incredulously.

“Well, not technically a kid,” Catelyn corrected herself, “he’s around Robb’s age. Robert found out about him, and realizing that he probably won’t get the opportunity to raise a child of his own, he found the boy and convinced him to drop everything to get to know each other better. The poor boy, Robert flew him out to Storm’s End, trying to reconnect. Your father won’t admit it, but he’s a bit annoyed by it all. Robert is desperately trying to connect with his boy.”

Arya ignored how this felt like her mother trying to set her up and played along. “And how exactly is Dad going to help him?” 

“That’s beyond me,” her mother smiled,” all I know is that Robert must be very desperate. I’ve never seen the man so terrified.”

Her father looked much more older, more weary. Her father still had his warm eyes and laughter lines. Where her father aged well, Robert did not. He was much fatter and more raucous then Arya remembered. And next to him, next to him, was someone that Arya expected the least to be here. She had to look twice to realize who it was. He was different, but it was unmistakably him. 

_ Fuck. _

“Gendry?”


	3. three.

His hair was shorter.

That was all Arya could think of. He looked older, more worn, yet those inviting and bright blue eyes still reminded her of the person she was when she first arrived to Riverrun. It must have been ten seconds. Ten seconds of Arya taking in the sight of her old friend. The friend who left her without warning.

Well, there was a reason...His father.

His father! His father who was now here alongside her own father. Their fathers who shared the same look of confusion. Arya could not afford to worry about that. All she could concern herself with was with the man that was suddenly in her home, surrounded by her family. And somehow he still didn’t seek her out?

“Arya.” He said breathlessly, already shooting up from his seat.

Her mother appeared almost entertained from the spectacle of it all. As if she knew all along that this was the outcome from introducing Arya to him.

“I think for the first time, our dear Arya is speechless,” her mother looked expectantly between the two. Her father’s look of confusion melted away to understanding before he tried to suppress his traitorous grin.

“You two know each other?” Robert said, amused.

“Yes, well--”

“Unfortunately,” she couldn’t look at him, so she settled on focusing on the little splinter of wood peeking out underneath the table’s mantle.

Her father’s friend laughed at her response, yet no one dared to laugh with him. Ned Stark briefly looked at Robert incredulously and cleared his throat.

“So how do you know my son?” Robert spoke, much to the dismay of everyone at the table.

“I--”

“Arya,” Catelyn said, placing a hand on her youngest daughter’s shoulder, “you must be famished. Want me to heat up some take-out?”

Take out? Her mother must have truly known that Arya was floundering here because rarely did Catelyn Stark offer Arya food that wasn’t homemade. Before Arya could even reply to her, her mother was already leading her away to the kitchen, to safety.

Arya wordlessly sat on one of the barstools of the kitchen, swinging her legs to give herself something to do. Her mother silently fixed her a plate of what Arya assumed to be Chinese take-out and slid it into the microwave. While they both waited for the plate to heat up, Catelyn quirked an eyebrow at her daughter.

“So?”

“Not now,” was all Arya could offer her.

“You like that boy,” was all Catelyn gave her in return. The words, while true, was not something Arya was particularly content hearing. The finality of it. As if it was something purely factual and concrete. It unnerved her. It made her realize how much of an effect Gendry still had on her.

“Is there something else you’d like to say, mother?”

“Much more, but it seems that Robert is most likely giving Gendry a harder time than I am giving you, so I will settle for just with one question, Arya.”

Arya jumped off the barstool, shaking her head.

“I said I don’t want--”

“Did he hurt you?”

Arya said nothing. She said nothing as she sat once more at the counter. She said nothing as she felt her parents’, Robert’s, and most importantly, Gendry’s eyes on her.

 

***

 

Her father was saying goodbye to the Reeds in the front yard while Arya wrapped her arms around herself. Bran was currently in deep in conversation with the Reed children. Arya felt no need to intrude, so she absentmindedly waved at the family as they piled into their car.

Her father wheeled Bran back to the front of their home, an easy smile resting on his face. Arya matched his smile and opened the door behind her, allowing the two to enter. Once her father eased the wheelchair over the threshold of the house, Bran twisted around in his chair to look up.

“Goodnight,” Bran mumbled to the both of them, pushing the palms of his hands on the wheels of his chair. He began to wheel himself to his room, which used to be their father’s old office, but it was later switched to Bran’s childhood room due to the convenience of it being downstairs.

“Arya, I should tell you something,” her father looked at her with a grave face.

“Huh?”

“Robert is going to be staying with us for the time being,” he said. Arya knew her father wouldn’t push her to talk, yet by the way he looked at her, Arya automatically could tell that he expected something from her.

“Good for Robert, then.” With a swift kiss to her father’s cheek, Arya muttered a goodnight and hastily made her way to her room. Her rage was bubbling up in her throat as she sprinted up the stairs, ignoring Robb and Jon’s drunken conversating. Ignoring how much she desperately wanted to break something. Ignoring how Gendry had been living in her home for some time and still didn’t reach out to her.

She couldn’t stop herself from slamming the door behind her.

She would get through these two weeks. She just had to preoccupy herself with anything and everything. Tomorrow, she would see if Bran wanted to go for a trip down to Greywater Watch. It was only a three hour drive, and she would be preoccupied for an entire day. It would take little convincing for Bran to join her, but Arya would have to find a way to get Jon to come.

Digging through her drawers, she pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms. She changed quickly and crawled into her surprisingly warm bed. She had almost forgotten how tired she was when she heard a knock at the door.

She held her breath.

Another knock.

She could see their shadow the door, yet Arya made no move to open the door. She turned her lamp off and settled in bed, pulling the covers over her head. A dreamless sleep took her in and washed away the anguish of her long day.

 

***

The next day, Arya dressed quickly, desperate to get a head start on the Baratheons. She was dressed comfortably, in a deep burgundy sweater and a pair of black jeans. The sweater was too warm indoors, so she opted for a pullover which was a bit more cooler. She wasn’t going to be outside all day anyways, so it didn’t matter much.

Arya slid out of her room, not caring if she was quiet or not. It was already 10am and the house was already chaotic. Most, if not everyone was already downstairs and eating breakfast. No one bothered to wake up Arya because they knew she was likely to murder anyone who dared. That’s why, when she strode into the kitchen already dressed for the day, everyone stared at her dumbfounded.

“Good morning,” she said to no one in particular.

Her eyes swept over them, not allowing themselves to settle on a barely awake Gendry. Instead, they settled on her little brother. She found her seat between Robb and Bran at their dinner table. Catelyn was already up and serving her a plate of pancakes and scrambled eggs. With a quick kiss to Arya’s forehead, she served a plate of hot food in front of Arya and took her seat next to her father.

After drowning her pancakes in syrup, Arya shoved a forkful of pancakes into her mouth, already picturing her mother’s look of horror. Deciding to spare her mother more anguish, Arya swallowed before speaking.

“So, Bran,” she turned to her brother, “I was wondering if you’d be up to go to Greywater Watch with me today.”

The change in her brother was almost instantaneous.

“Greywater Watch?” Sansa said. “Why are you going to Greywater Watch?”

Now is not the time to be curious, Sansa.

“Well, since Bran gets along so well with the Reeds,” Bran looked down at his plate, “I just wanted to take my little brother to go see them. It’s supposed to be nice there today.”

“It’s never nice in Greywater Watch,” Catelyn interjected.

“Well nice for me.”

“The only nice thing in Greywater Watch are the women,” Robert laughed to himself. Everyone grew silent. Robert stuffed another bite of pancake into his large mouth.

God, it was like his jaw unhinged for only beer and food.

Her gaze slid towards Gendry, whose knuckles were white from gripping his fork and knife too hard. His eyes were trained on his half-finished plate, yet as if he sensed Arya’s gaze, his blue eyes darted up.

She looked at Bran once more. “Greywater Watch, then?”

Her little brother saw right through her but was merciful in his response. “Meera and Jojen could come back with us, spend a few days up here. Mom?”

Catelyn held up her hands. “You know your friends are always welcome here, but this week was supposed to be about family. Arya’s back for only two weeks, and your friends--”

“It’s only for two or three days,” Arya reasoned,” besides, we’re just going to spend the day there and come back tonight.”

“Ned?”

Finally, Arya’s father looked up from his newspaper. His gaze shifted between Bran and Arya before settling on his wife. “Why don’t we all go?”

Traitor.

Arya almost wanted to scream, but not as much as her mother did. “Take two cars, it’s been a while since we’ve gone to Greywater Watch. The weather there is supposed is a bit warmer today.

“Ned,” Arya’s mother began,”we can’t all go to Greywater Watch just to pick up Bran’s friends. I also have plans for today, why don’t all the children go?”

That was even worse.

He nodded. There was a silent understanding between her parents before Ned’s attention turned to Arya. “Be nice to Howland and Jyana. They’re good people.”

“How is it that everyone at this table thinks I am mean to strangers?”

“Because you are.” The effect of Gendry’s voice was essentially the same as splashing ice cold water on a sleeping person.

Jon snorted and kept his head down, yet Robb and Sansa looked at Gendry as if they hadn’t even considered the fact that Arya knew him.

Maybe they didn’t know, but it didn’t matter. He just confirmed it for everyone at the table. Arya felt the hot blade of anger in her gut, but she decided to take a sip of her orange juice.

“We’re taking two cars,” she said between bites, glaring at Gendry, “I’ll be in one. You’ll be in the other.”

“Arya!” Catelyn chastised. “He’s a guest!”

“Was that me being mean, mother? I’m merely stating a fact. If Robert’s son has any issue with the arrangements, he is more than welcome to not come and spend time with his father here,” she snapped, setting her fork down. She consumed the rest of her pancakes in a matter of minutes and nudged Bran. “We’re leaving in twenty.”

“Arya,” Ned warned.

“Jon,” Arya watched as her brother’s head turned around to face her. “I’ll be in your car.”

That was it. That was the arrangement. Her grey eyes landed on his blue ones, challenging him otherwise. Before giving him the opportunity to speak, Arya looked at her father expectantly. Instead of disapproval, she saw the beginnings of a smile seizing her father’s lips.

“Robb, take your car. It fits more.”


	4. four

Arya, as always, called shotgun for Jon’s car. Bran already had his headphones on and was comfortably resting in the backseat alongside, Rickon. They were already almost an hour into their trip, yet Jon kept trying to get Arya to talk about Gendry. It got old very quickly, but it wasn’t until Arya shot him one of her glares that he shut up about it.

“I like him,” Rickon simply said. “He’s way cooler than his dad.”

“That’s not really an accomplishment, Rick,” Jon replied.

“It’s incredibly difficult to not be cooler than Robert Baratheon,” Arya agreed. 

“He looks like him, though. Remember dad’s old pictures?” 

“They’d probably look the same if Robert wasn’t so fat,” Jon laughed, ignoring Arya’s worsening mood. 

“I still don’t get why you hate him.” Rickon huffed.

“He probably would’ve been happier in this car. God knows the hell he must be going through with Robb and Margaery and Theon and Sansa being all romantic and shit.”

“He’ll survive,” was all Arya could reply to Jon. Should she have felt bad for sticking him with the couples? All she felt right now is relieved that she didn’t have to look at him for the next two hours.    


“Do you want me to hate him?” Jon’s voice grew serious. “If you’d just tell me--”

“He was my friend,” she blurted out. “He was my only friend when I moved there and he--he helped me.” She bit back the venom in her voice. “He helped me and he then he left. With nothing. No warning. No texts. Nothing. It was as if he never existed, so that’s what I’m doing. Acknowledging that to  _ me _ , Gendry Waters doesn’t exist.” 

At that, Arya turned the volume dial up and let an unrecognizable pop song flood the car. Rickon sang along contently. Jon pretended to not know the song, yet Arya could not find the energy to tease him about it. Instead, she pulled out her phone. 

**Me:** hey this might seem completely random but do you remember gendry waters?

She sent the text and let the image of her home in Riverrun take her mind. It was always so  _ warm _ there. It wasn’t an unbearable heat, but it was welcoming. The warmth of the oven always had her and Hot Pie’s apartment warm and smelling like fresh bread. Nymeria curled atop her bed. The easiness of her life there. She felt guilty for missing it this much. Her phone alerted Hot Pie’s quick reply. 

**Hot Pie:** Of course I do….why??

**Me:** he’s been living in my childhood home for some time now. his dad is my dad’s best friend….it’s complicated and im trying really hard not to kill him right now

**Hot Pie:** Oh shit

**Me:** oh shit is what’s been going through my head all morning

**Hot Pie:** I know you’re still mad at him, but i think you should hear him out. Ask him what the hell happened

**Me:** i’d much rather kick his ass

**Hot Pie:** if you do, let me know how it goes

  
  


***   
  


Arya had only gone once or twice to Greywater Watch, and both times, Arya always found the city to be invigorating. Most of the people who lived in the North looked down on Greywater Watch because they offered little things to do and the people there were known for the bluntness. The city wasn’t exactly the most beautiful nor the richest, but it made up for that in its honesty. What you saw was you got in Greywater Watch. Arya thinks that was why she had taken a liken to the Reed children. They were fierce in their friendship for Bran but were unafraid to confront him when he started acting out of line. 

Bran needed more people like that in his life. Arya remembered how differently her mother acted around Bran after the accident. Catelyn had always protected Bran the most because Bran never knew his own limits, but after he couldn’t walk, Catelyn was smothering him. It wasn’t until Bran met Meera and Jojen in middle school that he started getting better again. More sure. More confident in himself. He would never be that carefree boy again, and his legs would never heal. However, Bran could grow from it.

Arya watched as Jon helped Bran onto his wheelchair, wondering how the hell her little brother changed so much. 

Bran settled onto his chair and swiftly closed the car door. Rickon hopped out, shedding his jacket in the more humid weather. They had parked outside of the Reed house, yet those in Robb’s car were still getting out. 

Instead of waiting for them, Arya went up to the porch and quickly pressed their doorbell. Jon, Rickon, and Bran had barely made up to the porch before Howland Reed swung open the door. 

“This is a surprise,” Howland smiled. 

“No it isn’t!” Meera shouted from behind him, jogging forward to meet them. “We’re just getting some stuff ready, but you can come in if you want.” Howland moved aside to allow them in. 

The Reed house wasn’t as big as her own, for it was only occupied by four people. It was a cozy home, decorated in soft greens and dark browns. Meera waited for everyone else to pass before standing behind Bran to wheel him in. He said nothing against it. 

“So, Bran tells me this was your idea?” Meera said.

Nodding, Arya looked at the two. “I haven’t been down here in awhile, and I thought Bran would have wanted to come along for obvious reasons.”

“I’m one of those reasons I hope?” Meera grinned, pushing back a strand of hair Bran’s face. 

“It’s strange that you should have to ask that,” Bran looked down at his lap, blushing bright red. 

“You’re adorable, and I’m gonna tease you endlessly about this. However, I have a brother to go hurry, so I’ll be right back.” Nodding, Bran moved about the Reeds’ living room with ease, completely at home here as well.

“Bran,” Arya couldn’t hide the smile in her voice.

“Yes?” 

“Your friends are--”

“I know,” he smiled to himself. “C’mon, we should start heading back to the car. Meera is nothing if not efficient.” 

Jon and Howland looked at Bran, unsure of what to say to that, but Rickon had already had a smirk on his face. 

  
  


***

 

Bran, Rickon, Meera, and Jojen all decided to go in Robb’s car. Sansa, Margaery, and Gendry were all unhappily packed in the back seat of Jon’s car. Everyone in Robb’s car was already exhausted of being stuck in a car for several hours, so when Arya was sent a text by Bran, claiming that everyone had started to get antsy, Arya had no choice but to agree to stop for lunch. It was either that or having to ignore that Gendry was currently in the backseat of her brother’s car. Jon had tried to strike up a few conversations with Gendry but failed to get Arya to actually talk to him. 

Arya could already sense Sansa trying to hide a comment. 

Both cars pulled into the parking lot of a Denny’s before Arya could glare at her older sister. Arya got out of the car before everyone else and was already on the driver’s side before Jon had a chance to open his door. 

The Denny’s was expectantly slightly busy for the middle of the day. Arya was already sliding next to Jon in the both as Gendry slid next to her. The waitress handed out the menus across the table as Arya took in a deep breath.   

“Arya,” he whispered to her, as if that was the most normal thing to do. As if they were back in Riverrun again, and he was just seeing her after a long day of Professor Forel’s dancing lessons and trying hard to avoid conflict. 

“Slide out,” Arya demanded, not bothering to look at him. 

“No.” 

“I’ll push you out, and then you’re going to be that guy who landed flat on his ass in the middle of a Denny’s,” she whispered to her menu. 

“Go on, then.” 

She hated that she could sense the delight in his tone. Instead of sending him on his ass as Arya had so desired to do, she decided to do the one thing he least expected of her. 

She looked at him. His blue eyes met her grey ones, and she felt the air rush out of her lungs. Still, she didn’t shrink away from his gaze. His mouth was slightly spread out in a poorly concealed smile. The smile was wiped clean off his face while Arya’s hands went around his bicep and  _ shoved _ . 

“Arya!” Sansa shrieked at her. 

“Get up,” Arya snapped at Gendry, “and come with me.” 

Robb and Jon looked at each other. She didn’t bother to wait for Gendry to follow her out into the parking lot. 

“So are you going to kick my ass?” Gendry said as the front door of the Denny’s shut behind him. 

She whirled on him. “My house. My family-- and you what? Forgot that I existed for the past two years? Do you want me to go on?”

“I wanted to explain it to you last night, and you didn’t open your door,” he sighed, stepping forward. 

“And?”   


“My father-- you know I never met him-- called me after my mother died.” She walked further to Jon’s car, trying to get out of her siblings’ sight. “I knew that our fathers were friends, but I couldn’t bring myself to contact you. I thought you wanted nothing to do with me.”

“You were my best friend!” She snapped. “You  _ left _ without a fucking word. You left and still had a chance to tell me that not only are you Robert Baratheon’s son, but that you’ve been living in my childhood home.”

“I--”

“I’m not done,” she glared at him. “I’m sorry about your mother, and I’m sorry that you missed out on so much time with your father, but I have a fucking right to be furious right now.”

He nodded, eyes trained on her.

“Why couldn’t you have texted me? Why couldn’t you have said  _ something _ ?”

“I wanted to. I just thought--” His face froze. A knowing smile spread across his lips. “I didn’t know you cared so much about me.” She knew that tone well. It was always one that he used when he was teasing her. When he knew something she didn’t.

Oh no. Arya wasn’t going to fall for that nonsense. “You know what? This was a waste of time.  _ You  _ were a waste of my time.”

“Hit me,” he said, as if that was the best way for them to move forward from this. And for a second, Arya considered it. For another second, she considered shoving him against the car and--

She shook her head at him as if that was going to dispel away the unwanted thought. 

“Hit me.” He repeated. His voice was suddenly gentler. 

Instead of doing that, she turned on her heel, heading back inside to her family. She felt the breath return to her body until Gendry’s hand captured her arm, forcing her to look back. She easily shook out of his grasp, gaining as much distance as she could between him and herself.


End file.
